Amethyst (47 page)

“He’s another beneficiary of Mr. Dumfarthing’s generosity. Thank you.” He took the cup and saucer, just touching her fingers as he did so.

She kept the jolt from showing on her face—or hands that wanted to shake. “Really?”

“Reverend Chandler is to purchase a ranch to live on so that Joel can still enjoy the life he loves.” He leaned forward slightly. “From what I’ve observed, I think the ranch is for Opal too.”

Amethyst smiled. “Love is blossoming?”
Please, Lord, let Opal be happy again
. “And how is Opal faring?”

“She is pretty much back to her old self. I think having Sprout to baby helped. You should see him. He follows her around like a dog, and last time I was there, Rand had fashioned a harness for him, and he was pulling a little wagon with Per riding it. Opal had a halter on the calf. That was a sight to see.”

Amethyst was still chuckling when Mrs. Grant crossed the room, hand outstretched to greet the visitor. “Mr. McHenry, what a treat to see you again. You have no idea how many people I have regaled about my adventure in the badlands.”

He stood to greet her and sat again after she sat and waved him to his chair. “Thank you, dear, for inviting me. I was up to my elbows in more samples of glassware for our lotions.” She sat and accepted the coffee Amethyst prepared and handed to her. “Oh, good, there were still lemon cookies.” She passed the plate to McHenry. “Have another. Has Amethyst told you about our business?”

“No. I’m afraid I’ve been catching her up on the news from home.”

Home, no, not anymore. This is my home now
. While she’d told herself this many times, saying it still caused her heart to catch.

They visited for some time until McHenry announced, “I need to be going. I have an appointment this afternoon.”

“Surely you can stay for dinner?” Mrs. Grant said.

“No, I’m afraid not, but I would be honored if I could escort you both to the opera tomorrow night. I already purchased the tickets, since they were in danger of being all gone.”

“Why, that would be lovely.” Mrs. Grant turned to Amethyst. “That will give you a chance to show off your new gown, and we don’t have anything planned.”

“Yes.” She nodded to McHenry. “Thank you for the invitation.”

“We could have supper here first. I’ll ask Cook to make something special. And the evening after that we are having a group here for supper and entertainment. I do hope you’ll be able to join us.” She paused. “How long will you be in Chicago?”

Amethyst felt his gaze on her. She looked up and caught his smile.
He looks like the Grant whirlwind just caught him up too.

“I planned on leaving for home again in a week or so. I want to visit some farm machinery stores and a horse-breeding farm. Too many of the local horses perished in the blizzard, and I’m thinking of buying a Morgan stallion.”

“So you plan to raise horses?”

“I seem to be leaning that way.”

“My son has the family farm south of Chicago. He might know of some good stock for you to look at. If you’d like, I’ll send a message out to him.”

“That would be most helpful.” He stood and nodded to both of the women. “Thank you for the coffee and cookies and your hospitality upon my abrupt appearance on your doorstep.”

“You see him to the door, dear,” Mrs. Grant said. She smiled up at McHenry. “I should have some information for you by tomorrow night. We’ll see you at six, then?”

Amethyst rose and escorted Jeremiah to the door. “Thank you for coming.”

“I’m hoping we can go for a drive along the lake while I am here.”

“We’ll see what the weather is like.” She handed him his hat. “And how busy you are. Knowing Mrs. Grant, I believe she’ll find plenty of people for you to meet with.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow night, then.” He sketched a bow, and she closed the door behind him. Here she’d thought her new life was gaining some order, and now this.

Amethyst caught herself and returned to finishing the letter.

I thank you again for the journal you brought me and the kid gloves. I wear them often, as the weather has turned colder and we’ve had frosty nights. The wind blows off the lake, and while nothing compared to the blizzard of last winter, it still eats into one’s bones.

Sincerely,

Amethyst Colleen O’Shaunasy

They did have a marvelous time up until he asked if she would be willing to return to Medora in the hopes she would consider allowing him to court her.

Go back to working for Pearl? Having nothing of her own? But she did miss seeing the children, receiving their love and giving hers in return. Would he be different? Would he no longer take her and what she did for granted? “My life is here now, and I owe Mrs. Grant a debt beyond payment,” she finally answered. “Besides, we are too busy for me to consider being gone for even a few days right now.”

“I see.”

But she could tell he didn’t see, and at moments she wondered if she did. Was she putting her lotions before her own happiness? But he had not mentioned anything about caring for her. So did he? And she’d not dared to ask if he still drank. Such a personal question. If he’d asked to court her before she left Medora, would things have been different?

If she didn’t care for him, why did she find herself waking up from a dream with tears drying on her cheeks? The dream of a certain dashing, one-eyed man with a limp.

No matter how busy she kept herself during the day and how resolutely she refused to allow herself to think of him, at night he came riding into her mind.

It seemed to be getting worse, not better.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

“Rand, any chance you could go look at a place with me on Saturday?”

“Of course. What time?”

Jacob thought a moment. “How about nine o’clock or so? I need to finish up some things around the Robertson place before I go.”

“Teaching school kind of cuts into the chore time, doesn’t it?” Rand tipped his hat back, the better to look up at Jacob on his horse.

“Pa?” Per called from the gate to the porch. “Pa, come, peese.”

“Please, eh? That boy knows how to get what he wants.” Jacob waved. “Hi there, Per.”

Per waved back and jabbered out an answer that made both of the men smile.

“He can talk a blue streak, but we don’t understand too well.” Rand stepped back. “See you Saturday morning, then.”

“Thanks.” Jacob turned his horse and headed up the rise. Besides looking at the abandoned ranch, he had something else to discuss with Rand.

“All right, class, put away all your things, and let’s talk some more about the Christmas pageant.” On Friday afternoon, Jacob had as bad a case of the restless willies as his pupils. He usually finished the day with reading a story, but today that hadn’t been enough to settle them. Someone yanked Ada Mae’s braid, and she spun around to pay them back and tipped over an ink bottle. Now there was a black splat on the floor and spots on her dress and the Paddock boy’s shirt. And he swore he didn’t pull her hair.

Knowing that no one would tattle, Jacob put away the book and turned to the Christmas program. “Starting on Monday, Mrs. Hegland is going to be here two days a week to begin practicing the music. I’m sure you’ve all been memorizing your parts….” The guilty looks on their faces told him that was an impossible dream. “All right, I see that has not happened. Do I need to send a note home with each of you?” Several shrank down in their seats. “Well, starting Tuesday, you’ll be reciting. I’ll just call on whomever I think should be ready, and that will be everyone beyond the third grade. I suggest you pair up and drill each other before then. Recess would be a good time to do that.”

Someone groaned, but he paid no attention. “That’s it for today. I’m letting you out fifteen minutes early. Perhaps you could spend that on your memory work.” He smiled. “I didn’t mean that, about the memory work, that is. God bless you all.”

The room emptied immediately just in case he came up with something else. He knew the feeling. He was having as hard a time as his students thinking of Christmas coming. Indian summer had strode across the hills right on the heels of Jack Frost. Sitting in the school was hard when the geese and ducks could be heard singing their way south.

We need a harvest festival, he thought. But when? And what to do? He’d have to set the women on it. They’d come up with good ideas. Of course a barbeque would be wonderful. He’d heard tell of Rand’s skill at that. Perhaps they could do a deer or two instead of a steer, since no one had any extra beef. And they’d have dancing. He could dance with Opal again. When would he find time to practice the fiddle? Somewhere between ten and midnight? After he’d finished his lessons for the next day?

He shut the school door behind him with the same feeling of relief he’d seen on the children’s faces.

“So do you think I should go ahead and buy this?” Jacob gestured at the soddy with a log cabin attached. “Or do you know of any other vacant places within an easy ride of the school?”

“Not with land around them. There are houses in town.”

“Opal and Joel would not take to that, I’m afraid.”

“That’s if Opal agrees to marry you.”

“Right. That’s something else I want to talk with you about, but let’s get this ranch thing done first. What is it I need to do?”

“I’d say you check to see if the previous owners ever purchased the land from the railroad. This here is railroad land, or it was until folks started buying it up. De Mores bought up quite a bit.”

“In Dickinson?”

“That’s where I went a few months ago to file for homestead rights on my place. That wasn’t railroad land out there.”

“So if I find that someone filed?”